Chart of the week: Ukraine's electricity imports hit record high as Russian attacks devastate energy system

Ukraine imported record volumes of electricity in January 2026 according to analyst group ExPro, as Russia continued efforts to systematically erase Ukraine's power infrastructure.

The country imported 900 gigawatt hours of electricity last month, a 40% increase compared to December 2025, ExPro said.

Russia has launched thousands of drones and hundreds of missiles at Ukraine's power infrastructure since October last year and into the beginning of 2026. As temperatures dropped to -20 degrees Celsius overnight on Feb. 2–3, Russia launched 71 missiles and 450 drones in another attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

The attack came just days after U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Jan. 29 that Russian president Vladimir Putin had agreed not to strike Ukrainian cities for a week. Russia later said that this would only last for three days.

Historically, Ukraine has been a net exporter of electricity. According to ExPro, the country has not exported electricity since mid-November 2025.

Just under half of Ukraine's imports in January came from Hungary.

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The Kyiv IndependentPolina Moroziuk